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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Poland to speed up troop pullout from Afghanistan Iran Press TV 16 Jan 2014 -- Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak says his country will accelerate the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, reducing the number of its soldiers deployed there to about 500 by May this year.
• Official Urges Support for Afghan Counternarcotics Efforts AFPS 16 Jan 2014 -- A senior Defense Department official has warned about the growing threat of narcotics originating in Afghanistan and has urged continued support for efforts to eradicate production.
• 10th Mountain Division headquarters, support elements case colors for Afghanistan Army News 16 Jan 2014 -- Some 1,000 Soldiers assigned to 10th Mountain Division (LI) headquarters and several 10th Sustainment Brigade battalions marked the official start of their yearlong deployment to Afghanistan during a casing ceremony Thursday at Magrath Sports Complex.
• 4th BCT Soldiers teach 60 mm mortar system to Afghan troops Army News 16 Jan 2014 -- The M-224 60 mm mortar system, a staple of American light infantry operations, is fast becoming one for the Afghan National Army.

Defense Policy / Programs

• ICBM Retesting Continues, Hagel Open to Incentives for Missileers AFPS 16 Jan 2014 -- Retesting of all ICBM launch crewmen will finish today, the Pentagon press secretary announced during a news conference.
• Recruiting On Track, But Officials Worry About Future AFPS 16 Jan 2014 -- Military recruiting is going well today, but economic and demographic changes will make the environment more difficult in the future, said Vee Penrod, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for military personnel policy.
• Pacom Area of Responsibility Defined by Superlatives AFPS 16 Jan 2014 -- The region of the globe that falls under the purview of U.S. Pacific Command is defined by superlatives, Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, said yesterday at the Surface Navy Association's annual convention.
• Pentagon Praises Bipartisan Spending Bill AFPS 16 Jan 2014 -- A Pentagon spokesman has praised a budget bill that won final Congressional approval today which would fund the government through September, but cautions tough spending decisions remain.
• Defense Department Press Briefing DoD 16 Jan 2014 -- Presenters: Rear Admiral John Kirby, Press Secretary
• Coastal Riverine Squadron 4 Sailors Return Home NNS 16 Jan 2014 -- Sailors from Coastal Riverine Squadron 4 (CRS-4) returned home following a seven-month deployment supporting operations in five geographical areas and through four different theaters, Jan. 15.
• USNS Spearhead departs on Maiden Deployment NNS 16 Jan 2014 -- The Navy's first joint high-speed vessel departed Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Ft. Story today on its maiden deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility.
• SDDC Contracting Office disestablished; G9, TRANSCOM, ACC pick up critical acquisition functions Army News 16 Jan 2014 -- In an effort to streamline and provide increased oversight and management of all Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command contract requirements, the SDDC Contracting Office will be disestablished as of Sept. 30, 2014. Additionally, the command's delegated procurement authority will also be removed.
• Recruiting force remains unchanged, despite shrinking goals Army News 16 Jan 2014 -- Military budgets have declined, the U.S. military is preparing to pull out of Afghanistan, and the Army is drawing down its force.
• 2-5th Field Artillery deploys to Southwest Asia Army News 16 Jan 2014 -- The Soldiers of Task Force Charlie, 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery assembled in the Rinehart Fitness Center Jan. 9 for their long awaited deployment ceremony. Friends, family, and the 'Leader Brigade' bid the 'Rock Hard' warriors farewell in the highest and most honorable way.
• First Russian-made submarine inducted in Vietnam Voice of Russia 16 Jan 2014 -- A ceremony was held at Cam Ranh port in southern Vietnamese province of Khanh Hoa on Wednesday to induct its first Russian-made Kilo class submarine, the HQ 182- Hanoi, into service.
• China Confirms Hypersonic Missile Delivery Test VOA 16 Jan 2014 -- China has conducted an experimental flight of a hypersonic missile delivery vehicle designed to travel several times faster than the speed of sound.
• China seeks to calm US fears over missile People's Daily 16 Jan 2014 -- The Ministry of National Defense issued a statement on Wednesday dismissing media reports that China's recent ultrahigh-speed missile test flight was aimed at delivering warheads through the missile defenses of the United States.
• Has China surpassed Britain? Voice of Russia 16 Jan 2014 -- The overall strength of the PLA is 2.3 million people, while the strength of the British army is only 225 thousand people.
• Iran not interested in supplies of Antey-2500 instead of S-300 from Russia - FM Zarif Voice of Russia 16 Jan 2014 -- Iran is not interested in supplies of the Antey-2500 air defense systems instead of the S-300 missile weapon systems that were not received from Russia, said Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
• Russian Pacific Fleet airbase supplied with drones Voice of Russia 16 Jan 2014 -- Several drone systems and a ground control station have been delivered to an airbase of the Russian Pacific Fleet in Kamchatka, fleet spokesman Capt. 1st Rank Roman Martov told Interfax-AVN on Thursday.
• Upgraded IDF jets to boost Taiwan's air defense CNA 16 Jan 2014 -- The first batch of upgraded indigenous defense fighter (IDF) jets and the installation of a new weapons system on the locally developed fighters will boost Taiwan's air defense capabilities, the Air Force said Thursday.
• President gives thumbs-up to upgraded IDF jets CNA 16 Jan 2014 -- President Ma Ying-jeou praised the first batch of upgraded indigenous defense fighter (IDF) jets and the installation of a new weapons system at a ceremony Thursday at an air base in the southern city of Tainan.
• Ceremony held to mark weapons upgrade for IDF jets CNA 16 Jan 2014 -- A ceremony was held at an air base in the southern city of Tainan Thursday to mark the completion of the first batch of upgraded indigenous defense fighter (IDF) jets and the installation of a new weapons system.
• January 16, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 16 Jan 2014
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 1/16/2014 The White House 16 Jan 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 16, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 16 January 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 16 Jan 2014
• More than 1,000 militants killed in Syria infighting Iran Press TV 16 Jan 2014 -- The infighting among al-Qaeda-linked militants and armed opposition groups has claimed more than 1,000 lives over the past two weeks.
• Syria: UN-Arab League envoy regrets opposition group's absence from Geneva talks UN News Centre 16 Jan 2014 -- The United Nations and Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria regrets the decision of one of the opposition groups, the National Coordination Committee (NCC), not to take part in next week's international conference in Switzerland seeking to end nearly three years of civil war.
• Rising number of mass executions may amount to war crimes, senior UN official warns UN News Centre 16 Jan 2014 -- The United Nations human rights chief today warned armed opposition groups in Syria that executions and unlawful killings violate international law and may amount to war crimes, as reports continue to emerge of mass executions in the northern part of the strife-torn nation.
• UN: Syria Mass Executions Could Be War Crimes VOA 16 Jan 2014 -- The U.N. human rights office says armed opposition groups in Syria, particularly an extreme al-Qaida-linked faction, are committing a 'soaring' number of killings in the country's north that could amount to war crimes.
• Iraqi IDPs from Fallujah fighting flock north IRIN 16 Jan 2014 -- Sena Mohamed sits with her family in a room at the Al-Raha hotel, in the historic centre of Erbil, in northern Iraq's Kurdish region, but they are not here to sightsee.
• Fallujah Residents Suffer As Tribesmen, Al-Qaeda Fight On RFE/RL 16 Jan 2014 -- Amid the fog of war, it is becoming clear that everyday citizens are bearing the brunt of the recent violence in Iraq's Anbar Province.
• Central African Republic: UN humanitarian appeal for $247 million only 6 per cent funded UN News Centre 16 Jan 2014 -- Donors have provided only 6 per cent of the $247 million that the United Nations needs over the next 100 days to ease the "mega-tragedy" in strife-torn Central African Republic (CAR), where nearly 900,000 people have been driven from their homes and now lack the very basics of food, water, medical care and shelter.
• Rwanda sends troops to Central African Republic Iran Press TV 16 Jan 2014 -- Rwandan troops have been sent to the Central African Republic (CAR) as part of an African Union (AU) mission to the violence-hit country, Rwanda's army says.
• UN warns of Genocide in Central Africa Republic Iran Press TV 16 Jan 2014 -- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned of genocide in the violence-hit Central African Republic.
• Major food crisis looms in CAR IRIN 16 Jan 2014 -- Farmers in the Central African Republic (CAR), which has been immersed in violence since a coup in March 2013, urgently need more seeds and tools to avert a nationwide food crisis, aid agencies have warned.
• Briefing: What analysts are saying about South Sudan's crisis IRIN 16 Jan 2014 -- Since violence first broke out on 15 December, the conflict in South Sudan has left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more. Representatives of President Salva Kiir and his rival, former vice president Riek Machar, are meeting in Addis Ababa to attempt to negotiate a settlement and a cease-fire. Meanwhile, think tanks, academics and experts have been scrambling to explain the causes of the bitter acrimony and bloodshed that has engulfed the country.
• South Sudan: peacekeepers boost security for civilians on UN mission's bases UN News Centre 16 Jan 2014 -- Joint police and military patrols and the use of metal detectors are among the security steps being taken by the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to protect some 65,000 displaced civilians seeking refuge on its bases and in the surrounding community.
• Mediators Hope South Sudan Sides Sign Ceasefire Agreement VOA 16 Jan 2014 -- Mediators are encouraging representatives of South Sudan's warring factions to sign a ceasefire agreement before this weekend to end weeks of deadly clashes in Africa's newest nation, according to Dina Mufti, Ethiopia's foreign ministry spokesman.
• Uganda Admits Helping South Sudan Fight Rebels VOA 16 Jan 2014 -- Uganda has acknowledged its forces are helping South Sudan's army battle rebels, reversing a previous denial.
• NDC of DPRK Advances Crucial Proposals to S. Korean Authorities KCNA 16 Jan 2014 -- The National Defence Commission (NDC) of the DPRK made the following principled proposals to the south Korean authorities Thursday upon authorization of the government, political parties and organizations of the DPRK:
• Small Exclave Spells Big Problems For Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan RFE/RL 16 Jan 2014 -- Central Asia's impoverished and densely populated Ferghana Valley usually grabs the headlines when violence explodes in one of its cities, such as Osh in 2010 or Andijon in 2005.
• Central African Republic: UN humanitarian appeal for $247 million only 6 per cent funded UN News Centre 16 Jan 2014 -- Donors have provided only 6 per cent of the $247 million that the United Nations needs over the next 100 days to ease the "mega-tragedy" in strife-torn Central African Republic (CAR), where nearly 900,000 people have been driven from their homes and now lack the very basics of food, water, medical care and shelter.
• Seeking post-poll stability in Guinea-Bissau IRIN 16 Jan 2014 -- Guinea-Bissau will hold elections on 16 March to end yet another post-coup regime, with many hoping the polls will help calm an internecine and drawn-out instability. Observers believe that a political coalition and deeper commitment by the international community after the polls can shore up the country's recovery.

News Reports

• Senate report: Benghazi attack could have been averted Iran Press TV 16 Jan 2014 -- The September 11, 2012 attacks on an American consulate in Benghazi, Libya could have been prevented, according to a new US Senate intelligence report.
• Obama urges Democrats to oppose new anti-Iran sanctions Iran Press TV 16 Jan 2014 -- US President Barack Obama has met with Senate Democrats in a closed-door session and urged them to reject a new sanctions bill against Iran.
• Summary of Technical Understandings Related to the Implementation of the Joint Plan of Action on the Islamic Republic of Iran's Nuclear Program The White House 16 Jan 2014
• U.S. Congressman Presses Officials On Russian Blacklist RFE/RL 16 Jan 2014 -- A U.S. lawmaker who spearheaded legislation punishing accused Russian rights abusers plans to meet officials from the Obama administration to press for answers as to why it has failed to blacklist more Russian officials under the law.
• Philippines: UN humanitarian chief urges donors to increase aid for typhoon recovery UN News Centre 16 Jan 2014 -- The recovery process in the Philippines has been steady but uneven, the United Nations top relief official said today, urging donors to increase support for the $788 million response plan for Filipinos, who continue to depend on humanitarian support, particularly to rebuild their homes.
• Egypt Referendum Passes, With Controversy VOA 16 Jan 2014 -- Egyptian officials say preliminary results indicate voters have endorsed the nation's military-backed constitution.
• Hariri Assassination Trial Opens in The Hague VOA 16 Jan 2014 -- A suicide bombing in northern Lebanon Thursday coincided with the start of a much awaited trial in The Hague. Four men are accused in absentia of plotting the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.